One Day on Inle Lake

So, planning a trip to Inle Lake but short on time? Don’t worry, one day was enough to enjoy the serenity of Inle Lake and discover its beauty.

Friday afternoon, we quickly arrived home from work to take a shower and pack our bags. Then, we were off to Aung Mingalar Bus Station in the north of Yangon.

We booked out bus ticket on bookaway.com and went with JJ Express company. It’s the priciest option but since we wanted comfort, we chose this one. It’s a really great bus! You get snacks, a blanket, the seat reclines up to 75% and it makes 4 stops along the way for toilet breaks and to get more snacks.

After a long 11 hour journey of actually not sleeping much because I wasn’t feeling great, we arrived to the town called Nyaung Shwe. It’s 5:30 in the morning in the middle of February….I was freezing! As soon as you step off the bus, you are bombarded with touts. We made a deal with one of them to take the 3 of us for 40,000 Kyats. A bit pricier then it should be but since we were short on time we didn’t want to wait around on others. The man took us to his house so we could freshen up and then walk over to his boat. I felt using a strangers bathroom was going to be awkward but there was no other option at that time of the morning….so you’ve got to just go with it.

Now, on to the boat! We were given nice wooden seats with cushions and thick blankets to cover us from the cold. If you’re clever like me, this is the time to start drinking the coffee you actually brought with you because coffee is important.

The start of the trip was cold but we all had adrenaline running through our veins imagining all the things we were about to see these next few hours.

Our first stop was the Traditional Fisherman. A  man wearing his traditional fishing clothes starting posing for us. It was quite funny to watch him do all his moves. Then, he waited until the sun came up so we could get the perfect picture. When he is done, he will expect a tip. We gave him 2,000 Kyat each.

Later on throughout the lake, you will see the real fishermen doing their job. Our boat captain would slow down so we could watch them catch fish. Finally, it was time to stop for breakfast. I was the last one to finish my noodle soup as I had been busy gazing at the gorgeous scenery surrounding us.

Right after breakfast, we toured the floating village. This was incredible! I had no idea so many people actually lived on the lake in these cool stilt houses. They have a floating post office and everything.

We made a stop at the lotus weaving factory and learned how they made all the beautiful scarves and dresses. Then came the cigar rolling shop, where we were able to try all the different cigars they made. The banana one was my favorite but didn’t buy any as I’m not a smoker. We also toured the silver making shop and then the Long Neck Tribe shop. After living in Myanmar for 9 months I knew these were just typical tourists shops that would be way overpriced. So, I just go in for a look and to watch them make all the different items.

Cigar rolling and green tea

If you want to buy something, the women selling things from their boat actually had the best prices. On your way up to Indein Pagoda there is plenty to buy and I believe they had better deals than the actual shops.

Woman from the Kayah Long Neck Tribe

We were finally headed to what I had been waiting to see, the Indein Pagoda.  After four years of living in Asia, you get templed out and can’t be bothered with another one but this one was truly breathtaking. The amount of stupas with all the different shades were a real sight to behold. We spent over an hour just admiring the beauty of this place.

I asked our boat captain if we could stop for lunch now. First, we cruised along the beautiful jungle until we found a lunch place he suggested. I had a delicious chocolate and banana pancake along with a Myanmar beer because why not?

After a filling lunch we made our way back to town as we had seen everything we wanted to see and could barely stay awake any longer. There is also a monastery and another pagoda to visit but we opted out of those options. The whole tour lasted about 8 hours and we took our time. It’s just a short walk from the drop off point to where the bus stations are and there are plenty of restaurants in the area.

That was our perfect one day itinerary of Inle Lake. So glad we decided to visit, it’s a gorgeous location and it’s nice to leave the hustle and bustle of Yangon if even just for a day.

XX

GE